Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be leading the talks with protesting farmers on Tuesday after the meeting was rescheduled for December 1 from December 3, reported NDTV.
Ahead of the meeting with protesting farmers, top Ministers of the Narendra Modi government, including Home Minister Amit Shah held talks at the residence of BJP national President JP Nadda on Tuesday. Besides Shah, the high level meeting at Nadda's residence is being attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has invited leaders of farmer unions, protesting over the three central farm reform laws, instead of December 3, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and cold.
"Keeping in view the cold and COVID-19, we have invited leaders of farmer unions for discussion much before the scheduled December 3 meeting," Tomar had told PTI on Monday.
The meeting has been called at 3 pm on December 1 at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital, he said, adding that those leaders who were present in the meeting held on November 13 have been invited this time.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the Delhi border since November 26. Currently, these farmers have been protesting at Delhi's Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders on Delhi-Chandigarh, Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh routes respectively demanding from the Centre to repeal three farm laws enacted in September by Parliament.
On Monday, the farmers said that they have come to the national capital for a "decisive battle" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to their "mann ki baat". They said that they will continue their agitation until their demands are met.
Farmers are protesting in Delhi and its border areas against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
(Inputs from Agencies)
